Stephen w



- s. W. JONES... P'rocess'and Machinery for Manufacturing Tobacco.

No. 224,439. Paten-fed Feb. 10, 1880.

N.FETERS, PNQTQ-LITHOGRAPNER` WASHINGTON. Dv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

STEPHEN w. JoNEs,.oE PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

PRoeEssA'ND MACHINERY. Fon MANUFACTURINGToBAcco.

sPEcIEIcA'rIoN forming pm of Letters Patent No. 224,439, dated 'February 1o, leso.

` Atpneation med March i9, 1879. i

To all whom it may concern: y

Beit known that I, STEPHEN W. J oNEs, of Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and Improved Process and Machinery for Manufacturing Tobacco; and I do hereby declare'the following to be Aa full, clear, andA exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which`` Q Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section; Fig'. 2, a transverse vertical section.

Similar .letters of reference in the several figures denote the same parts.

In the process of manufacturing tobacco heretofore in general use the dried leaves of the plant, as obtained-fromjthe producers, were first treated with the usual liquids, then thoroughly dried by subjecting them in suitaf ble pans to the action aof dry steam, then removed in the pans and allowed to stand until cooled by the natural radiation of their heat and the iniiuence of the surrounding atmosphere, then steamed with damp steam' to prepare lthem for handling and working, and then worked up into the various conditions required for the market. The leaf coming from the dry-steaming -is `too dry and. brittle to'be Worked, and experience has slown that it will not answer to dampen it immediately after the drysteaming andbefore it has undergone the process of cooling; but it is essential that it be dry-steamed, then cooled, then dampened, and then workedas above described. x

By this old process the time required for complete dry-cooling.;` after the hot dry-steaming was variable, depending on the thermal j and hygrometric condition of the air, and the temperature to which it could thus be reduced was also variable, depending on the same causes. The result has been an element of uncertainty both Vin the time 4and expense of manufacture and in the resulting quality of the manufactured article. i l

The object of this invention is to do away with that element of..uncertainty, to reduce thek process of manufacturing to a simple uni- Y form system, and to insure the greatest prac'- ticable uniformity in the quality of the resulting commodity.

Tothis end the first part of my invention ,consists in the said process as improved by said improved process is enabled to be con veniently carried into practice.

I will rst describethe mechanism and then the process `as used in connection therewith.

In the drawings I have represented a building or portion of a building divided intol two closedvertical compartments or sections, A B, andV one open section, C, the said vertical sections 'being further divided by horizontal lrails or beams E F into a basement, G, and Aseries of vas many stories or floors, H I J, as

may be desired.

The top of the vertical compartment B is covered, and is provided with a ventilatingue`,'K, having an adjustable valve or damper, j. The top of the other vertical sections may ,be open or closed, as preferred. In the basement of section B is arranged a hopper-shaped partition or vessel, L, through which extends a Vsteam-pipe, M, having a slotted or perforated discharge pipe or head, l. A Waste-pipe, N, serves to dischargethe water of condensation from the vessel L.` The Walls andiloor of this portion ofthe basement are made water-tight, and apipe, O, serves to introduce cold water into it, which water may be maintained at any suitable height by means of the said wastepipe N, or by another waste-pipe or a controllable discharge of any approved construction.

If desired, the entire basement of this section B need not be converted into a Water-receptacle, as described; but any portion theref of surrounding the steam-pipe M may be employed as a cold-water receptacle, or a cooling air or water coil may be arranged around said steam-pipe, the object being. to partially condense the steam passing through said pipe, so as to enable the pipe todischarge damp steam or vapor into the vessel L, and the precise construction of the means for accomplishing this object being immaterial.

The top of the vesselL is open, and the damp steam or vapor rises through the entire section B and discharges mainly at K. In the basement of the compartment A there is arranged a perforated horizontal partition or screen, l), or any practical equivalent thereof, such as a deieetor or other form of equalizer, for distributing and equalizing a cold-air current discharged into said basement through a pipe, Q, from a fan or blower, B.,in order that said air-currents may rise equally and uniformly through the said section A.

The quantity of the air-current discharged into basement of compartment Afrom blower R may be regulated by adjusting the speed of the blower, or by valves, a-nd its temperature by cooling or heating, or both cooling and heating, coils arranged in the basement of said compartment A, or by regulating the temperature ofthe air supplied to the blower in any suitable manner.

S S' S2 are pans or boxes for containing the tobacco-leaf. They are about four inches (more or less) in depth, and of such length and breadth as adapt them to the compartments in which they are to operate. They are provided with perforated or wire-cloth bottoms, in order that the steam and the air-currents may circulate freely through them and act effectually upon the leaf-tobacco contained in them. They are introduced into the storiesH I J and slid along` from one section, A, to the next, B, and thence to G, from which they are removed by hand or otherwise, as may be desired.

`In each story the sections A, B, and C are divided from each other by valves or doors b c, automatically closing by means of weights b', springs, or other equivalent device. The doors b c open in the same direction-viz., from the direction of section A. The entrance to section A is through doors or valves a', opening outward, and closed automatically by means similar to those employed with the doors b c.

Rollers t may be employed to facilitate sliding the loaded pans or boxes along on the rails or beams E F in the several stories.

With this apparatus the process is as follows: The tobacco having first been treated with the preparatory liquids, and been drysteamed by the usual or by any other preferred means, but while in the pans S S S2, &c., said pans are then introduced onto the several floors in the section A, and are there subjected to the cooling influence of the aircurrents induced and adjusted therein as described. When thoroughly cooled to the condition required they are then pushed forward through valves b into section B, where the cooled tobacco is immediately subjected to the moistening and warming act-ion of the damp steam from pipe M until it is iu a proper condition to be handled and worked. The pans are then pushed forward through the valves c into the section G, whence they are removed, as above described.

The pans Will readily be moved forward by introducing fresh ones behind them. They should be made so much shorter than the distance from valve b to valve c as to enable said valve b to drop back and close automat-ically, to retain the steam in the section B and prevent it from entering A to such an extent as to interfere with the cooling process there in operation.

Windows or doors may be provided in the side walls or top of section B, through which access may be had thereto for any purpose required.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as newl. The improved process of manufacturing tobacco, as herein described, consisting, essentially, in treating the leaf-tobacco with the customary chemicals, then drying it by the action of dry steam, then cooling it by artificial and controllable currents of air, and then moistening it by the action of damp steam.

2. The apparatus herein described, consisting, essentially, of the coolingsection A, having connection with a blower, the damp steaming section B, having connection with a damp-steam pipe, the delivering-section G, and the valves or doors which close the said sections.

STEPHEN WRIGHT JONES.

Witnesses:

Jaimes B. BLANKs, CARTER R. BISHOP. 

